Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1887-01-11
MISCELLANEOUS.
The WhirIigig of Time.
1873 rs. 1886.

pushing Broadway n. L. merchant.
Mr.. Charles b. Rouss. In the same
paper is produced the Maryland Jour
nal spoken of. Mr.. Rouss says un-
der the caption of . a Word Outside
of business
son Christmas night, 1878, this
writer, nearly frozen, stopped at the
house of Daniel Wright, about half
way between Martinsburg and Win
chester, Va. had known him a long
time: his farm adjoined our early
home, and our hunting and play
grounds. Talking until long after mid
night, he went to private secretary
containing few sacred souvenirs from
his father-he handed me newspaper
to look over, and promised TO leaveitto
me when life's battles were over. He
was seventy-four-born on the very
day of Washington's death, Decem-
ber Il, 1799-and this paper, The
Mdryland Journal, was handed TO him
sixty-seren years before, in October.
1906, by his father, and in all this
time he had seen it but twice. 1t
was a melancholy pleasure, too hard
to bear, looking over these old me-
mcntoes of the long past. and it had
lain in the drawer (wrapped up in
another old paper, September, 1Sl0)
as fresh and perfect as the day upon
which it was printed Upon leaving,
he expressed the belief that we would
not meet again, but after his death
the old paper would reach me. Six
years after he died. He had come to
that place pennies hoy, with fam
lily of brothers and sisters to take care
of; and, when. the struggle was over,
he was the richest man in that coun-
try. From his friend and counsellor,
Jo. Morgan, Esq. I received the ''old
Maryland paper, 1773,' which goes
out with our April Circular, and which
is produced letter for letter, word for
word, precisely the same type, form.
size and style as the original, printed
in the s. town of Baltimore" one hum
dred and seven years ago, and mailed
to our patrons, friends and readers,
to the figure of one hundred thousand
copies.
"This rare relic, which was The
first edition (weekIy), was considered
n gigantic. enterprise by its pushing
and peerless proprietor The great
Napolspn was only four years>old -.
the Revolution was not Thought of.
and steam and electricity lay waiting
the touch of inspired genius, of the
inventive skill that was to render the
coming century immortal. Col.
George Washington, little dreaming
of the greatness that awaited him, of
the eventful history he was soon to
make, was advertising his lands, array
out in fdr-of Western Virginia, and, 1
as an inducement to buyers and set
tiers, predicted that the Kanawha Val
ley would be the future seat of the
Government, as being 50 centrally
located. The Ohio River was the
boundary then; beyond that the buff
center. was unknown, as well as the
vast States and Territories beyond,
with their millions and billions of
acres and for prophecy to have just
whispered the Pacific Railroad into
the ear of the Virginia Colonel. would
have awakened the suspicion that
there was Jersey. Lightning" (the
name then) somewhere. The lands
were given him by Dinwiddie for mer-
army) also by the generous, eccentric.
but disloyal, Fairfax, who lived and
died at Grcenway Court, sixteen miles
from Winchester, Va. The editor ad-
vertised for n postman to Philadelphia
twice week (the pioneer of progress
he wasi) and one also for Frederick
and Winchester What would he
have given to see the trains whirling
over the P, B. & W. r. or the B. &
o. up and down the Valley of Vir-
ginia? What would he have given to
see the day when his paper would be
republished, century after, not TO
three millions of British subjects, but
to fifty millions of the greatest people
OF the earth!"
The following touching story is
taken from the admirable leader of
the same trade journal. Its .conclu-
sion exhibits the magnanimity of
friend Charley, man whose hand is
ever open for dispensing unstintedly
the good cheer of this life to Gods
poor wherever he finds them:
"One. Sunday morning in March,
1873, there appeared before the Po-
lice Justice of the Tombs Court, an
old man, thinly and poorly clad, but
wearing an unusually sad and intelIi-
gent face-gaunt want had indeIibly
impressed it's mark there. After
hearing the case the Judge decided to
hold him in one thousand dollars bail
for trial at the Special Sessions. 1t
was the last case for the day. and this
writer went upon his bond and urged
him to state the whole case privately
to the justice. Long and patiently.
with deep feeling and increasinginter-
est, his Honor heard the story, when
he kindly begged him to he seated for
the moment. Never will forget the
whitening scorn as he addressed the
plaintiff 90 You, sir" said he,
| were the first aggressor. When this
old man was a prosperous merchant,
twenty years ago, in Canal street, you
obtained from him by fraudulent rep
iresentations nearly two hundred dol